An early Christmas present for Pennsylvania residents who heat their homes with natural gas. The Reading, Pa.-based UGI Utilities Inc. – Gas Division announced Wednesday that their customers' purchased gas cost rates will decrease on Dec.1 due to lower wholesale natural gas costs.

As a result, an average residential heating customer’s bill is estimated to decrease approximately 4.7 percent, from $90.05 to $85.77 per month, the company said in a press release.

"Thanks in part to increasing availability of supplies of Pennsylvania-produced Marcellus and Utica Shale gas, UGI is pleased to be able to reduce purchased gas costs for our customers,” said UGI Utilities Vice President of Rates Paul Szykman. "This cost reduction is an added benefit to customers as we enter the winter heating season."

Take that, Pennsylvania Gov.-elect Tom Wolf, who promised to raise taxes on the natural gas industry.

Monday, November 24, 2014

The Department of Welfare has dropped "welfare" from its moniker because the term welfare offends the many millions who receive welfare and the bureaucrats who administer the billions of dollars in welfare payments. So from now on, it's the Department of Human Services, which is still the place to go for welfare.By the way, Pennsylvania spends about $11 billion annually on welfare programs.

Your dream job awaits. On top of all the other benefits, you have the opportunity to became a standout journalist under the tutelage of none other than Tony Phyrillas. Click on the link below to find out more about the opening.

Pennsylvania taxpayers will be taking a backseat over the next four years. If there was any doubt in your mind that Pennsylvania Democratic Gov.-Elect Tom Wolf is a puppet of Big Labor, consider this:

FOUR TOP WOLF DONORS WERE GOVERNMENT UNIONS
Government unions pumped more than $7 million directly to political candidates across Pennsylvania — including $2.7 million given to Gov.-Elect Tom Wolf — and at least $1.6 million in election-related TV ads.
The most recent campaign finance reports show seven Pennsylvania government unions gave $7.2 million in campaign contributions in 2013-2014. That's up from the $4.7 million during the last election cycle.
Topping the list were PSEA: $3,037,756; SEIU: $2,119,312; AFSCME: $1,178,197; and UFCW: $385,179. Government unions funneled an additional $1.6 million to Pennsylvania "SuperPACs" like PA Families First, which ran several TV ads in support of Wolf.

Thursday, November 20, 2014

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) released the follow statement about President Obama’s executive action on immigration:

"I strongly oppose the President’s latest overreach of his legal authority and his decision to dictate sweeping immigration policy changes without legislation. America’s immigration system is badly broken and cries out for reform, including stronger border security and adequate opportunities for legal immigration. Regrettably, President Obama's unilateral and legally unauthorized actions will do nothing to fix our broken system, and could encourage even more illegal immigration."

WASHINGTON — Congressman Joe Pitts (PA-16) released the following statement on President Obama’s executive order on immigration policy:

"The President said repeatedly in the last few years that he was not a 'king.' However, tonight he took action outside the laws Congress set to govern immigration policy.

"This isn’t just going around Congress, it's going around the American people, who just spoke in the 2014 elections. This isn't a long-term solution and it puts up a substantial barrier to getting such an agreement during the President's remaining years in office."

WASHINGTON - Congressman Jim Gerlach (PA-6th District) issued the following statement on Thursday after President Obama announced that he would bypass Congress, ignore the American people and test the Constitutional limits of his executive authority in granting amnesty to 5 million people who illegally entered the United States:

"The President's hubris is alarming and he's once again demonstrated utter disregard for the legislative process that protects the rights of American people to have a voice in how our country is governed. The first reform necessary for improving our flawed immigration system is securing our border, not rewarding those who broke the law by granting them executive amnesty. My staff has helped countless hard-working families seeking a better life in the United States who have obeyed the law, obtained legal status and, in many cases, waited several years for their loved ones to legally enter our country. The President's abuse of executive power will let about 5 million people skip the line ahead of these law-abiding families. That's wrong."

An administration that resorts to lies and distortions to get its agenda through Congress would have no qualms about faking its Twitter and Facebook pages, now would it? Last year, we found out that millions of Obama followers on Twitter were fake accounts. Now The Washington Times reports that most of the followers of the Obamacare Facebook page are fake accounts or they are paid Obama operatives posting to the site. Check out the article for yourself at the newspaper's website.

Imperfect
human plans inevitably lead to imperfect outcomes. I opposed President
Obama’s stimulus bill when he came into office because I didn’t think it
would work, and it didn’t. However,
I don’t think the President was selling his jobs plan deceptively. He
earnestly thought it would boost jobs.

We
can’t say the same about the misnamed Affordable Care Act. The
President’s health care plan was sold to the American people with very
distinct deceptions. I know that there will be many
who disagree. But the claims made about the bill directly contradicted
what was written in the text.

One
lie Jonathan Gruber, MIT professor and one of the architects behind the
law, confirmed in comments recorded last year was that the individual
mandate was not a tax. Gruber said, “This bill
was written in a tortured way to make sure the Congressional Budget
Office didn’t score the mandate as taxes. If CBO scores the mandate as
taxes, the bill dies.” He also said, “Lack of transparency is a huge
political advantage. Call it the stupidity of the
American voter or whatever, but basically that was really, really
critical to getting the thing to pass.”

In
fact, in order for the Supreme Court to declare the law constitutional,
they had to say the mandate was created via Congress’ powers to levy
taxes. The IRS is the one enforcing the mandate
and it is doing it through annual tax returns.

Gruber
and the other writers of the bill knew exactly what they were doing.
CBO is pretty easy to game. They have to operate within strict rules.
They are essentially a referee with blinders
on and if you know where to commit a foul, they aren’t going to see it.

That
leads to another of the ACA’s lies: that it would actually save the
government money. CBO gives a bill a “score” that determines how much it
spends and how much it brings in in new revenue.
In the case of Obamacare, the score said there would be more revenue
than spending.

In
reality, the writers of the bill used some clever tricks to bump up
revenue. They included a provision for long-term care insurance that
would bring in $70 billion in temporary revenue.
However, the plan was so poorly designed that it had to be scrapped
before a single dollar was ever collected.

They
also double counted cuts to Medicare, claiming that the more than $700
billion taken from the program could both pay for new Obamacare benefits
and sustain the Medicare program itself.
It’s like trying to use the same dollar bill to pay for a Twinkie today
and then a Coke tomorrow.

The
President repeatedly claimed that people could keep their current
health plan and doctor. However, the way the bill was written, it would
mean the elimination of millions of individual
health plans. The cuts to Medicare were projected to lead doctors to
drop out of the program, leaving millions of seniors looking for a new
physician.

The
purveyors of Obamacare were snake oil salesman, doing everything they
could to make the sale and then get out of town before everyone found
out what was in the tonic.

Gruber’s
words show his disdain for everyday Americans. The funny thing is that
the American people never really bought what he was selling. Since the
time when the President’s health reform
was first introduced in April of 2009, more than 500 polls have been
conducted to gauge support. Only 26 of these polls ever showed that more
Americans supported the plan than opposed it.

The
people who bought into Obamacare were Congressional Democrats. Dozens
of them lost their jobs over the law in the election of 2010. Because of
six year terms, Senators in Arkansas, North
Carolina and Alaska faced the voters this year for the first time since
the passage of Obamacare. They lost too.

We still need health reform, but a plan sold on promises made earnestly, not outright lies about the contents of the bill.

Thursday, November 13, 2014

Pennsylvania is one of only two states that has a monopoly on liquor sales and while the state reported record revenues of $2.2 billion, there are warnings about the future of the state-run liquor industry.

A simple question for Democrats: Why would you belong to a political party where your leaders consider you stupid and they have to lie to you so they can get their signature piece of legislation passed?

Dominic Pileggi, arguably the most powerful political figure in
Pennsylvania in recent years, has been ousted by fellow Republicans as Senate Majority
Leader, a post he has held for the past eight years. Pileggi was widely criticized for bottling up Gov. Tom Corbett's
reform agenda in the GOP-controlled Senate, which in turn may have
contributed to Corbett's defeat on Nov. 4 to liberal Democrat Tom Wolf.

A conservative group of state
Senators publicly denounced Pileggi, a moderate Philadelphia-area state
lawmaker and sought his ouster. The coup took place Wednesday as the GOP Caucus met to decide on its leaders for the next legislative session. With a pickup of three new seats on Election Day,
the Republicans now control 30 seats in the 50-member PA Senate.

The new
Senate Majority Leader is Sen. Jake Corman of Centre County.

Gov. Corbett
sought to privatize the state's liquor monopoly and revamp
pensions for teachers and government workers, but both measures died in the Senate because Pileggi refused
to bring them up for a vote. Pileggi also blockd a vote on SB
76, which would have eliminated Pennsylvania school property taxes.

Pileggi
was often referred to as a RINO (Republican In Name Only) by Harrisburg
observers. The Wall Street Journal today called Pileggi's ouster as a "setback for Pennsylvania Democrats" because of Pileggi's perceived willingness to work with Democrats and incoming Gov. Tom Wolf.

From the Journal's Political Diary:

Notwithstanding the Republican governor's 10-point defeat to Democrat
Tom Wolf,
Republicans picked up eight seats in the state House and three in
the Senate. The gains bolster the GOP majority in the Senate to 30-20
and 119-84 in the House. That's not strong enough to override a veto,
but Democrats will now have a hard time passing legislation merely by
picking off some moderate Republicans.

Many of Mr. Corbett's
governing priorities, such as pension reform and liquor-store
privatization, foundered in the statehouse because of intraparty
squabbles between his caucus's moderate and conservative wings. Public
unions were able to block reforms by bribing or browbeating a couple of
Republican senators or a dozen or so House members. Democrats often used
Mr. Pileggi as their liaison.

The Senate Majority leader was
known to act as a double agent, publicly backing legislation while
working behind the scenes to kill it. Former Democratic Gov. Ed Rendell
has described Mr. Pileggi as "the most powerful person in Harrisburg."
Conservative state Sen. Scott Wagner described him earlier this year as "the number one obstacle in the Senate."

The
only holdover in a leadership position is Senate President Joe Scaranti. Because of the defeat of
Republican Corbett and running-mate Lt. Gov. Jim Cawley, a Democrat,
newly-elected Lt. Gov. Mike Stack will now
preside over the Senate. Stack, who is also a state senator, has said he plans to keep both his senate
seat and his new post as Lt. Gov., but there are questions about the
constitutionality of holding two elected offices at once.

Over in the House, where
Republicans also bolstered their majority, ultra-conservative state Rep.
Mike Turzai, who had been Majority Leader, was elected Speaker of the House, another blow to liberal
Tom Wolf's chances of getting any of his tax-and-spend agenda through
the Legislature.

The bloodless coup staged by Senate conservatives effectively makes Gov.-elect Tom Wolf a lame duck even before taking office. Republicans will now set the agenda for the next four years.

Still not certain? Liberal John Micek of PennLive.com is already asking, "Is Wolf's honeymoon over before it even starts?"

HARRISBURG – Republican Party of Pennsylvania Chairman Rob
Gleason released the following statement regarding the reorganization
session of the State Senate Republican Caucus.

"Congratulations
to President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati, Majority Leader Jake Corman and
our entire State Senate Republican leadership team on their elections,"
Gleason said. "At such an important
time in the history of our Commonwealth, it's important to continue the
tradition of strong Republican leadership that will stand up for the
Republican principles of individual freedom and economic opportunity in
our state Senate.

"I
congratulate the new state Senate Republican leadership team, and look
forward to working with them in the months and years ahead."

Today, State Senate Republicans chose the following officials to serve as members of their leadership team:

President Pro Tempore – 25th District Senator Joe Scarnati

Senate Majority Leader – 34th District Senator Jake Corman

Senate Appropriations Chairman – 16th District Senator Pat Browne

Senate Majority Whip – 27th District Senator John Gordner

Senate Majority Caucus Chairman – 24th District Senator Bob Mensch

Senate Caucus Secretary – 33rd District Senator Rich Alloway

The
following State Senate Republicans were appointed to serve in leadership
positions by Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati:

HARRISBURG – Republican Party of Pennsylvania Chairman Rob Gleason released the following statement regarding the reorganization session of the State House Republican Caucus.

"Today, our state House Republican team voted to elect quality leaders who will move our Commonwealth in the right direction," Gleason said. "Speaker-designate Mike Turzai and the State House Republican leadership team will bring their proven track records of creating jobs, keeping taxes low, and growing our economy to their new positions and our Commonwealth will be better because of their leadership.

"I congratulate Speaker-designate Mike Turzai and every member of our state House Republican leadership team on their elections, and eagerly anticipate working with them to improve our Commonwealth in the future."

Today, State House Republicans chose the following officials to serve as members of their leadership team:

Speaker-designate of the House – 28th District Representative Mike Turzai

House Majority Leader – 62nd District Representative Dave Reed

House Majority Whip – 100th District Representative Bryan Cutler

House Appropriations Chairman – 165th District Representative William Adolph

HARRISBURG
– Republican Party of Pennsylvania Chairman Rob Gleason released the
following statement regarding the reorganization session of the State
House Republican Caucus.
“Today, our state House Republican team voted to elect quality
leaders who will move our Commonwealth in the right direction,” Gleason
said. “Speaker-designate Mike Turzai and the State House Republican
leadership team will bring their proven track records of creating jobs,
keeping taxes low, and growing our economy to their new positions and
our Commonwealth will be better because of their leadership.
“I congratulate Speaker-designate Mike Turzai and every member of our
state House Republican leadership team on their elections, and eagerly
anticipate working with them to improve our Commonwealth in the future.”
Today, State House Republicans chose the following officials to serve as members of their leadership team:
Speaker-designate of the House – 28th District Representative Mike Turzai
House Majority Leader – 62nd District Representative Dave Reed
House Majority Whip – 100th District Representative Bryan Cutler
House Appropriations Chairman – 165th District Representative William Adolph
House Caucus Chairman – 111th District Representative Sandra Major
House Policy Committee Chairman – 171st District Representative Kerry Benninghoff
House Caucus Administrator – 11th District Representative Brian Ellis
House Caucus Secretary – 63rd District Representative Donna Oberlander
- See more at: http://www.pagop.org/2014/11/pa-gop-chairman-gleason-applauds-election-house-gop-leaders/#sthash.8zXhAbrA.dpuf

HARRISBURG
– Republican Party of Pennsylvania Chairman Rob Gleason released the
following statement regarding the reorganization session of the State
House Republican Caucus.
“Today, our state House Republican team voted to elect quality
leaders who will move our Commonwealth in the right direction,” Gleason
said. “Speaker-designate Mike Turzai and the State House Republican
leadership team will bring their proven track records of creating jobs,
keeping taxes low, and growing our economy to their new positions and
our Commonwealth will be better because of their leadership.
“I congratulate Speaker-designate Mike Turzai and every member of our
state House Republican leadership team on their elections, and eagerly
anticipate working with them to improve our Commonwealth in the future.”
Today, State House Republicans chose the following officials to serve as members of their leadership team:
Speaker-designate of the House – 28th District Representative Mike Turzai
House Majority Leader – 62nd District Representative Dave Reed
House Majority Whip – 100th District Representative Bryan Cutler
House Appropriations Chairman – 165th District Representative William Adolph
House Caucus Chairman – 111th District Representative Sandra Major
House Policy Committee Chairman – 171st District Representative Kerry Benninghoff
House Caucus Administrator – 11th District Representative Brian Ellis
House Caucus Secretary – 63rd District Representative Donna Oberlander
- See more at: http://www.pagop.org/2014/11/pa-gop-chairman-gleason-applauds-election-house-gop-leaders/#sthash.8zXhAbrA.dpuf

HARRISBURG
– Republican Party of Pennsylvania Chairman Rob Gleason released the
following statement regarding the reorganization session of the State
House Republican Caucus.
“Today, our state House Republican team voted to elect quality
leaders who will move our Commonwealth in the right direction,” Gleason
said. “Speaker-designate Mike Turzai and the State House Republican
leadership team will bring their proven track records of creating jobs,
keeping taxes low, and growing our economy to their new positions and
our Commonwealth will be better because of their leadership.
“I congratulate Speaker-designate Mike Turzai and every member of our
state House Republican leadership team on their elections, and eagerly
anticipate working with them to improve our Commonwealth in the future.”
Today, State House Republicans chose the following officials to serve as members of their leadership team:
Speaker-designate of the House – 28th District Representative Mike Turzai
House Majority Leader – 62nd District Representative Dave Reed
House Majority Whip – 100th District Representative Bryan Cutler
House Appropriations Chairman – 165th District Representative William Adolph
House Caucus Chairman – 111th District Representative Sandra Major
House Policy Committee Chairman – 171st District Representative Kerry Benninghoff
House Caucus Administrator – 11th District Representative Brian Ellis
House Caucus Secretary – 63rd District Representative Donna Oberlander
- See more at: http://www.pagop.org/2014/11/pa-gop-chairman-gleason-applauds-election-house-gop-leaders/#sthash.8zXhAbrA.dpuf

Whatever happened to Obama's promise of "no boots on the ground"? Commander-in-Chief Obama is sending 1,500 more US troops to Iraq as ISIS threatens to overrun the country. Total US troops strength will double to around 3,000. Isn't this the same guy who pulled all US troops out of Iraq to appease his far-left base? Now, we're going back.Look the Other Way as Obama Sends 1,500 More Troops to Iraq

Former Congressman Joe Sestak is already planning to run against Toomey and all the talk has been about Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen Kane running against Toomey in 2016, but Kane has been bogged down in one scandal after another since taking office last year. Her stock was dropped dramatically among Pennsylvania voters. Democrats' target in 2016: Sen. Toomey

With Republicans holding commanding majorities in both chambers of the Pennsylvania Legislature, the real power-brokers in Harrisburg over the next two years will be GOP legislative leaders and not newly-elected Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf. With that in mind, conservatives are mounting a challenge to Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi, who is blamed for scuttling much of Gov. Tom Corbett's first-term agenda and leading to Corbett's defeat on Election Day. At least two state Senators -- Scott Wagner of York County and Donald White of Armstrong County -- have publicly called for replacement of Pileggi, who represents parts of Delaware and Chester counties. And now Sen. Jake Corman of Centre County, the current Senate Appropriations Committee chairman, has announced he will challenge Pileggi for the top leadership post.

The conservative American Future Fund Political Action issued the following statement on the pending leadership fight within the GOP caucus:

"This past Tuesday, while Republicans across the nation were celebrating landmark victories, Pennsylvania Republicans were facing the first defeat of an incumbent Governor in the Commonwealth's history," said Nick Ryan, Chairman of American Future Fund Action. "One of the main causes of the defeat of Governor Corbett was the inaction, ineptitude, and impotence of the Republican leadership in the Pennsylvania State Senate."

"For four years, Governor Corbett was unable to pass virtually any legislation that would have moved Pennsylvania in the right direction. The cause was simple, members of the Republican State Senate cared more about union bosses in Philadelphia than their constituents or the good of the Commonwealth as a whole. The blame for all of these problems lies at the feet of Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi. Pileggi's Philadelphia Boss-Style politics has no place in the leadership of the Republican Party should we hope to govern based on principles rather than our campaign coffers," concluded Ryan.

With Republicans controlling 30 of the 50 seats in the Pennsylvania Senate, a majority vote of 16 within the GOP Caucus is needed to win the post of Majority Leader, which Pileggi has held for the past eight years.

If you voted for Tom Wolf because you think he's going to spend more money on liberal causes, you're in for a major disappointment.

Pennsylvania voters didn't like Tom Corbett, but they also wanted a barrier to the Wolf agenda, so they gave Republicans greater control of the Pennsylvania Legislature.

From the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review:

Corbett's loss was balanced by Republican gains in the General Assembly. The party picked up three seats in the 50-member Senate, raising its total to 30, and increased its House majority from 111 to 119 among 203 members, the largest majority since the 1957-58 session.

Dominic Pileggi, a Philadelphia-area state senator who helped scuttled much of Gov. Tom Corbett's agenda in the Pennsylvania Senate, is now facing a potential challenge to his leadership from more conservative members of the GOP caucus.

Pileggi
is the main reason Pennsylvania does not have property tax reform or
the elimination of the state monopoly on liquor sales or pension reform.
He blocked every Corbett initiative and helped put Tom Wolf in the
governor's office.

Tom Corbett blew it Tuesday, failing to capitalize on the anti-Democratic Party wave. A poor campaigner with lousy political advisers, Corbett lost his bid for a second term to a guy who sells kitchen cabinets, never ran for office before and promised to raise taxes. Very disappointing. Of course, Democrat Tom Wolf's big-government agenda is irrelevant as Republicans expanded their majorities in both the state House and Senate on Tuesday. Wolf will get none of his initiatives through the Legislature over the next 4 years.

Democrat Tom 'Taxman' Wolf must be overjoyed tonight. Pennsylvania collected $100 million from the estate of Richard Scaife, who died earlier this year. But Wolf doesn't think Pennsylvania residents are paying enough taxes.

"We endorse a second term for Gov. Corbett. Contrary to the ridiculous claims of Wolf, Corbett has increased the state's funding of education. He wants to continue managing the gas industry that is generating jobs and producing revenue and attack the looming pension crisis with changes to make it solvent in the long-term future. He wants to privatize the liquor store system, bringing in revenue from sale of licenses and increasing consumer choice."

The Johnstown Tribune-Democrat is the latest Pennsylvania newspaper to endorse Gov. Tom Corbett for re-election.

"We have a vision for the future of Pennsylvania
that includes a burgeoning natural gas industry, a growing economy and
progress in the war on drugs, and we believe Tom Corbett is the better
option to get us there." the newspaper's editorial board writes.

Predicting this year’s election results makes for an easy column. But perhaps more important than the returns are the reasons behind the vote, since understanding the electorate’s mindset provides insight into what direction the country will take.

The American people have always accepted their government not being efficient. After all, democracy - free people governing themselves - is not a particularly efficient system. Just the best.

But for whatever reason, things have become exponentially worse. Now, there is a pervasive feeling that we have returned to the Jimmy Carter years, where nothing seems to work because the system is utterly broken.

Examples abound: the Obamacare website failure was a multibillion dollar fiasco; the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration’s website repeatedly crashed after the recent airbag recall; the CDC’s response to Ebola was fraught with amateur mistakes; NASA cancelled the shuttle program without a replacement, and its latest rocket exploded in spectacular fashion; the immigration crisis continues unimpeded; and the Secret Service’s multiple failures, including its inability to literally lock the front door to the White House, makes them look like the Keystone Kops. And the list goes on.

Taken individually, none would influence the vote. But collectively, given the level of disgust over the government’s ineptitude, people will vote against the Party in power. The buck stops with the President, so Election Day will be a boon for Republicans. But a word of caution to the Grand Old Party: they would be wise to understand that it’s not so much people embracing them but rejecting the status quo.

What they do with their gains - simply be obstructionist, or articulate and execute a bold vision - will go a long way to determining their future success.

Here is the breakdown:

Governor: This is the easiest call. Democrat Tom Wolf will trounce incumbent Tom Corbett in an historic landslide. It will be a humiliating defeat for Corbett not only because he will become the first modern-day Governor to lose re-election, but, quite possibly, the only Republican Governor in the nation to lose.

Despite riding to victory in 2010 with a ten-point margin and having record Republican legislative majorities, Corbett failed at virtually everything, from liquor privatization to pension reform, and from reducing some of the nation’s highest taxes to reforming a failed educational system (though he did manage to give Pennsylvanians the highest gas taxes in the nation).

Yet rather than blame himself for legendary incompetence (and that’s saying something in Harrisburg), it’s been everyone else’s fault: the media (of course), an intransigent legislature, unions, former Governor Ed Rendell, and probably even extraterrestrials. Corbett had everything, so the total failure must be laid at his own feet.

But far and away, the biggest reasons Corbett will lose are his handling of the Jerry Sandusky investigation while Attorney General and his devastating effect on Penn State and its football program. Half of the University’s mammoth alumni network think Corbett put Joe Paterno in his grave prematurely, and the other half are convinced he allowed a monster on the street much longer than necessary for purely political reasons.

To this day, Corbett has adamantly refused to answer the most basic questions: Why did he direct a narcotics agent with a small staff, instead of specialized Child Predator units, to lead the pedophilia investigation? Why did it take three long years to make an arrest? And why did he, as a Penn State Trustee, approve the extremely harsh sanctions against the University and then reverse course by suing the NCAA in a case that turned out to be not just legal folly, but a boon to a law firm that happened to be a large campaign contributor?

Much of Corbett’s base has abandoned him because they simply cannot trust a man whom they believe put political fortunes above children’s physical welfare. This election has little to do with Tom Wolf and everything to do with Tom Corbett. The Sandusky affair will always cause great pain, but for many, booting the Governor will bring about a sense of closure.Congress: Given the redistricting after the 2010 census, control of the House of Representatives will remain in Republican hands --- great news for the GOP since it holds a sizable majority. In fact, Republicans will pick up a handful of seats nationwide, and hold many being vacated by GOP members. Ryan Costello wins handily in Chester County (Jim Gerlach’s seat), as will Tom MacArthur in New Jersey (former Eagle Jon Runyan’s district). No other Pennsylvania races are remotely competitive.U.S. Senate: This is where the GOP will make its biggest gains. Democrats currently control the 100-member chamber with 53 senators (though effectively they have 55 since two Independents caucus with them), but their majority will almost certainly fall. Republicans are poised to pick up seats in Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Iowa, Montana, South Dakota, and West Virginia. Louisiana will probably see a runoff, where the GOP’s prospects are favorable. Kansas, typically a Republican stronghold but where GOP incumbent Pat Roberts is in trouble, will, in the end, stay Republican. Depending on the extent of the Republican groundswell, North Carolina may flip, with gains in New Hampshire and Virginia possible, though significantly less likely. Despite the GOP’s penchant for snatching defeat out of the jaws of victory, a Republican majority is all but guaranteed.

Interestingly, the GOP’s anticipated majority may be short-lived. The tables could well be turned in 2016, when Republicans will be forced to defend more seats than the Democrats, a task that much harder if their presidential nominee is a dud, wholly unable to relate to the average American, a la John McCain and Mitt Romney.

State House: Republicans hold a substantial majority, which they will not only keep but likely expand. The Democrats’ best hope for a pickup is the Delaware County seat vacated by longtime Representative Nick Micozzie, but at the end of the day, the GOP will carry that District.

State Senate: The GOP holds a 27-23 edge here, and will add to it. The question is by how much. The state’s most hotly-contested race is the 26th District seat (comprising Delaware and Chester Counties) being vacated by Ted Erickson. Delaware County Councilman Tom McGarrigle is locked in a bruising, multimillion-dollar fight with Plumbers’ Union Business Manager John Kane.

McGarrigle has been attacked for his past tax problems while operating a small business, as well as raising taxes multiple times as County Councilman. But above all, his association with Tom Corbett was proving toxic. As of Labor Day, the race seemed Kane’s to lose.

And that looks to be exactly what has happened.

McGarrigle and the vaunted Delaware County Republican Machine rallied, incessantly hammering Kane on his $276,000 salary and his pledge to keep his union job should he be elected. That barrage has knocked Kane off-message, and his campaign has floundered in recent weeks. All of which brings up two points:

1) Why would the Democrats nominate a union official in the first place, knowing that such a position is a lightning rod? There were more than enough controversial aspects to this senate campaign, from taxing natural gas to funding pubic education. Why would they willfully inject such a highly-charged issue, especially knowing how close the race would be?

2) How could Kane and his braintrust not have anticipated the exorbitant salary and keeping-both-jobs issues being so front-and-center? And how could they not have crafted better responses? Thinking there would not be a huge backlash taking a union paycheck three times higher than a senate salary is unfathomably naïve. It’s pretty hard being the independent Kane claims to be when his salary and campaign are bankrolled by a special interest.

Kane’s best hope is that Corbett will get crushed in Delaware County. Regardless of campaign issues, at some point McGarrigle’s campaign could be doomed by Corbett’s numbers. McGarrigle can still win if Wolf gets 57 or 58 percent. But if the rout gets much higher, Kane will prevail.

Prediction: McGarrigle emerges victorious. Barely.

And that’s all she wrote.

Chris Freind is an independent columnist and commentator. He can be reached at CF@FFZMedia.com

A major blow to liberal Democrat Tom Wolf, who expected an automatic endorsement from one of Pennsylvania's most liberal newspapers, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The newspaper's editorial board says it cannot endorse the 'untested' Wolf for governor.

From the newspapers "non-endorsement" endorsement editorial:

"... it is hard to tell how (Tom Wolf's) leadership at a small company not open to
public view has prepared him for the bare-knuckled politics of working
with a Legislature, particularly one controlled by the opposing party. "

The newspaper stops short of calling Wolf a liar:

"Perhaps because he self-funded his primary win and has had a fat lead in
most polls, the novice candidate has left some of his views undefined.
He has been reticent about the details of his plan to change the income
tax structure, claiming he can’t be specific on who will pay more and
who will pay less until he has a look at the inside books. That claim
rings false."

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Why Politics Matter

“Politics, the crooked timber of our communal lives, dominates everything because, in the end, everything – high and low and, most especially, high – lives or dies by politics. You can have the most advanced and efflorescent of cultures. Get your politics wrong, however, and everything stands to be swept away. This is not ancient history. This is Germany 1933.” –– Charles Krauthammer

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About Me

Tony A. Phyrillas is a leading conservative columnist, commentator and blogger based in Pennsylvania.
A veteran newspaperman with 33 years experience as a reporter, editor, photographer and columnist, Phyrillas received a first place award in 2010 for best column from the Pennsylvania Associated Press Managing Editors and a first place award in 2007 for Best Opinion Column from Suburban Newspapers of America. He was recognized for column writing in 2007 by the Society of Professional Journalists, Keystone Chapter and in 2006 by the SPJ Greater Philadelphia Chapter.
Phyrillas is ranked among the most influential political bloggers in Pennsylvania by BlogNetNews.com.
Odyssey: The World of Greece magazine named Phyrillas one of the leading Greek-American bloggers in the world.
A Penn State University graduate, Phyrillas is the editor/content manager of The Mercury, a two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning daily newspaper in Pottstown, Pa.
Phyrillas made frequent appearances on talk radio and as a panelist on the "Journalists Roundtable" program on the Pennsylvania Cable Network.
He co-hosted a weekly radio program on WPAZ 1370 AM for 2 years.